"Sam will be really close, we'll see how he goes at training today," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.
"We've got to determine whether that will be coming through Box Hill. He's trained pretty strongly for the last two weeks.
"He's coming back from a similar injury that Cyril did last week, so that doesn't make us enormously comfortable."
Mitchell has been sidelined since Round 7, making it just over two months since the initial injury.
Clarkson explained the reasons for the cautiousness behind the former Hawthorn skipper's recovery.
"The hamstring tendon is a more serious injury. With the scanning they can make sure (the player) spends the right amount of time out before they do start training again.
"Quite often with any hamstring injury after about three weeks you're feeling pretty good. These tendon ones are a more severe injury so you have to respect the fact you're going to be out for a length of time and make sure you're totally right."
Despite North's up and down form so far in 2014, Clarkson and the Hawks' coaching staff are anticipating a high quality encounter at Etihad Stadium.
"We go into every game expecting a full on assault from the opposition," Clarkson said.
"We coach in a manner where you prepare for the opposition's best.
"North have had games where their best performances have fluctuated a bit, but we know their best is capable of beating anyone in the competition. That's what we're preparing for.
"We can't control what North will bring; what we can control is how we respond to what North will bring."
